CHARLOTTESVILLE—On Monday, August 18, 2025, the world became a significantly less interesting and funny place with the passing of Jonathan Lynn Paulette, 57, after a lengthy battle with cancer.
A native of Urbanna, and a longtime resident of Charlottesville, Jon’s biography reads like something out of Hemingway. He was educated at Woodberry Forest School in Madison County and the University of Richmond. At times in his life he worked as a dockmaster at the Tides Inn, a freelance motorsports journalist, communications director at International Auto Parts, and, for the last 13 years of his life, as a consequential and influential writer and editor at Crutchfield Corporation.
Possessed of a sharp wit, a deep, refined (and sometimes sarcastic) sense of humor, and an enviable natural talent for writing, Jon left his mark everywhere he went.
No stranger to suffering, Jon maintained a passion through his life for the Washington Nationals and Crystal Palace FC, and found it a minor miracle that he lived to see the Nats win the World Series and Crystal Palace finally win their first ever FA cup.
Above all else, Jon will be remembered for his twin passions of all things motorsports, and for music. He lived for auto racing, and possessed encyclopedic knowledge of the history of drag racing, F1; and IndyCar. Meanwhile, few things in life pleased him more than discovering new musical artists, learning the existence of old bands he’d never heard of, and sharing his passion with friends—all his friends can point to bands he introduced them to, and his music collection looks like it came from the Library of Congress.
Jon also had a genuine kindness and care for the people in his life. He’d happily give you his full attention if you needed to talk, or his time, car, and muscles if you needed to move. And he maintained a lifelong passion for politics, staying active in Democratic politics. No matter how hilariously salty he’d get, you always knew he just wanted to make the world a better place.
His greatest gift, however, was his ability to make people laugh. Whether through a clever turn of phrase (seriously, go read his stuff at crutchfield.com/jp), a sarcastic takedown of foolishness, or the perfect zinger in conversation—that you didn’t get until three days later, spending even just a little time with Jon ran the risk of causing a bellyache from laughing so much. Laughter was his greatest gift, and he was supremely generous with it.
Jon is survived by his mother, Kathryn; and his long-time friend and partner, Carolyn Meier.
He was preceded in death by his father, Gene L. Paulette.
In lieu of flowers, Jon asks that you get out, go see a race, have a Sazerac in his honor, and enjoy all the live music you can.
A casual memorial wake will be held for Jon from 7:30-9:30 Thursday, September 11, at Kardinal Hall (https://kardinalhall.com/) in Charlottesville. Friends are invited to come and celebrate a life well lived.
